Closer Than You Think
by waitingfox22
Summary: YULLEN AU. Allen Walker is being hunted by a group known as Noah, so he becomes an assassin to hunt them back. In real-life Allen is a pianist beginning a tour in Japan - home base of the Noah. But then comes his bodyguard, a local police investigator by the name of Kanda, who's also hunting the Noah and the assassin Crowned Clown, who is Allen himself; what a mess this makes...
1. The Past 1

Disclaimer: D. Gray-Man and its characters are not mine.

Warnings: Male x Male relationship, curse words, violence/minor character deaths/murders (not very descriptive, just many mentioned), OOC-ness, etc.

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He was always the odd one out. Always standing in the shadows he was left in and constantly ignored. There was only one exception, the neighborhood stray, a mutt named Allen. He may have been an orphan like all the others he knew, but one single thing made him different. When he was orphaned it was thanks to a large fire, this fire damaged his left arm most. The damage was bad, bad enough to disfigure, but not bad enough to require an amputation. It was a dark red, almost black; and thanks to that discoloring got him his name, Red. Red and Allen were inseparable, until one unfortunate day.

"Red! You have to come back inside!" One of the older orphans' was calling from inside the orphanage. It was a downpour out, and no one had seen the young orphan, which was weird being it was dinner time. That boy never missed out on a meal. Currently the boy was out in the mud behind the building. He was on his knees, and though it was hard to tell, he was crying. By this time the scouting older orphan, a handy umbrella in hand, located his younger.

"Go away!" Red huffed out to the other.

"What's your problem?" the elder huffed back and directed his umbrella to cover the both of them from the rain.

"I said go away!" Red's sobbing became apparent and he dropped his head to his knees. The elder glanced around, spotting a small mud mound in front of Red.

"Did your dog die?" He asked.

"Shut up!" Red sat back up to turn and glare at the other orphan.

"I doubt he'd like to see you like this. And there's no point in trying to follow after him, there'd be no good from it. Now let's go inside and eat – I'm tired of waiting for your sorry ass." The elder turned his back to Red, glancing back to watch his actions. Red slowly stood back up and wiped the wetness from his eyes despite the rain. The two then walked back to the building. Another orphan came running up as soon as they came.

"You found him Yu! I'll go tell the headmaster!" The just arrived orphan quickly turned on his heel and ran back the way he came.

"You can thank that one later, he begged that I go out and look for you after all. His name is Alma by the way." The older orphan handed his umbrella over to Red and walked away. Red's eyebrows knitted together and confusion, but nevertheless, he put the umbrella by the door and headed for the kitchen; he was starving.

Since the day of Allen's passing Red became friends with the two others he had met. There was Yu, who warned Red to call him Kanda or else, and Alma, the one who initiated this whole friendship thing. The trio became very close, which meant a lot to Red. And things were going swimmingly until another tragedy came Red's way. Alma grew very sick, so sick that the hospital had no means of being able to cure him. Because of this, Kanda grew more violent than ever. He secluded himself to Alma's room and alienated Red. This caused the pair to fight and later be permanently separated. The only time Red ever saw Kanda again was on the day of Alma's death, and the day when Kanda got adopted. Once again, Red had lost everything that became important to him. Since then Red would cry in his bed all night long; claiming that he was cursed and he'll never be happy. After all, should that happen he'll lose it all soon enough. A full year had passed and it was soon the day for the Adoption Fair. A handful of volunteers had come to help Red in particular get ready. Red went through their fussing with a frown; he didn't know why they tried, there was no way he was getting adopted anyway.

"Now try to put on a smile dearie, just because your arm is a bit scary doesn't mean you are. I'm sure someone will love to adopt you." The headmaster explained to Red as she finished putting Red's brown hair into a ponytail; finalizing his groomed look. Red had just brushed her words off. And as soon as he was left alone, Red snuck to the back of the orphanage. He walked over to Allen's grave and placed a small rubber ball on top of the dirt mound.

"I know it's not a flower, but I think you'll like this better." Red muttered as he straightened back out.

"That's very sweet of you kid, but what are you doing back here?" Red turned his head to see that it was a clown that had just discovered him.

"I could ask the same to you." Red glared at the adult.

"Well I saw you wonder back here and I thought this place was a no-no zone," The clown chuckled slightly, "But to say the least I was curious as to what you were up to."

"Well it's none of your business." Red kicked at the dirt under him. The clown hummed, noting that the boy was growing shy all of a sudden. So very carefully he started to walk closer. Once close, he squatted so that he was level with the boy and could get a better look at the makeshift grave.

"Was he a pet? I bet he took good care of you." The clown stated.

"Go away." Red tensed up.

"Not unless you are coming with." The clown gave a smile.

"No, they don't need me at the fair. I won't get adopted anyway." Red muttered the last part.

"What makes you say that? You seem like a fine young man." The clown carefully patted the boy on the head. Red stared at the man with disbelief.

"What was your pet's name?" The clown easily switched subjects.

"He was a stray dog, his name was Allen…He was the only one that didn't treat me different," Red slowly brought his left hand in front of him, "When we first met he licked my hand." Tears welled up in the boy's eyes.

"It sounds like he was a very good friend to you. Hey, I never got your name kid." The clown went back to standing.

"Everyone just calls me Red." Red answered with a frown.

"Is it because of your hair?" The clown chuckled and ruffled Red's hair. Then before the boy could protest, the clown lifted him to his shoulders. "How about we change things? Why don't I call you Allen, I'm sure your pet would like the idea." Red looked down at the clown quizzically.

"S-Sure, but hey, who are you anyway?" Red muttered.

"My name is Mana, but you can call me dad - if you want to that is." The clown the started to walk back to the front of the building. Red was ready to burst into to tears, so he decided to bury his face in Mana's hair to hide his face. Mana just smiled. And by the end of the day Red was proudly adopted and was soon Allen Walker. And said boy couldn't be any happier…


	2. The Past 2

Allen and Mana became very close in the following years together. Allen had even learned a few clown-techniques so that he could work along side his adoptive father. It didn't take very long for Allen to dismiss his past at the orphanage and keep moving forward with Mana. That is until one day, Allen's world is taken for a spin yet again…

On this day Mana was prepping the house for a visitor. When Allen asked who was coming over, Mana stated that it was his brother Neah.

"Dad, what's Uncle Neah like?" Allen questioned as he assisted in setting the table for dinner.

"He's very nice Allen, I'm sure the two of you will get along. And he's a pianist, maybe if you ask he'll play something for you." Mana replied.

"Really? Do you think he'd play that song you taught me?" Allen stated excitedly as he turned to face his dad.

"Maybe." Mana smiled to his son, but then his eyes drifted to the clock on the wall.

"Something wrong Dad?" Allen muttered as he noticed the other's gaze.

"Not at all," Mana went back to smiling, "you're uncle is just running a tad late is all." As he went to pat Allen on the head there was a sudden explosion by the front door. Allen couldn't help but scream as Mana wrapped his arms protectively around him. In what seemed like seconds, two big men walked to the dining area. One had a knife in his hand and was smirking wildly to his partner.

"Say, where's the 14th?" The knife-wielder turned to Mana.

"What are you talking about?" Mana was quick to maneuver Allen behind him.

"Don't play stupid. We know that he's supposed to be here." The knife holding guy sighed and shook his head before turning to his partner, "Grab the kid. Maybe then we can get this guy to talk." The partner grinned and nodded. As he took a few steps towards Allen, Mana pushed the boy further back.

"Leave him out of this!" He shouted.

"Then you better tell us what we want to know." The knife guy explained. Mana quickly turned around.

"Allen, run!" Allen grew wide-eyed; frozen in place. But seeing the determined look in Mana's eyes, Allen finally moved. He went to the hallway on his left that was a ways away from the two intruders. Allen only made it a few feet before the sound of a gunshot went off. Stopping in shock, Allen looked back. What he saw was his dear father bleeding out from the shoulder and falling to his knees.

"Dad!" Allen screamed. With Allen in shock the intruders took the chance to rush over and grab him. Allen cried and kicked at the man that grabbed him, but it did nothing. By this time a few more unknown men showed up.

"Sir, there is no sign that the 14th was here or anyone else in the house." One of the newer men explained to the one with the knife.

"Damn, we could have used this man for information." The knife-holder looked over to Mana; who was slowly losing consciousness. "Oh well. If anything we can leave the 14th with a message. Hand me the kid." Allen was then passed between evil-doers. At this point the poor boy was crying his eyes out.

"The 14th will learn to never cross the Noah again." The man brought his knife up to Allen's face. Bringing it up above the boy's left eye he began to carve a mark. He created a pentacle and dragged a line down through the boy's eye to the lower part of his cheek. When the boy ran out of screams he was dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Despite his poor condition, Allen crawled over to Mana's body.

"Why?" Allen's weak voice muttered out. Then, just as his vision was growing blurry, Allen spotted someone new running into the mess.

"Mana! Allen!" The newcomer gasped. Immediately the man ran over and grabbed Allen. The last thing Allen knew was he was being carried out of the house. But the world then grew dark…

Allen awoke in a hospital bed with a stranger at his bedside.

"I'm so sorry that we had to meet this way. Um… in any case I'm your uncle." The man sighed and looked at his lap. Allen frowned, but said nothing.

"The medical team couldn't save Mana, your eye is permanently scarred and blinded, and the stress has caused your hair to turn white." Neah scratched at the back of his head, unsure what to do.

"Am I going back to the orphanage?" Allen muttered as he looked to the window. How would he get adopted now; first his arm, but now his eye and hair?

"Never!" Neah suddenly stood, causing Allen to look over, "Sorry… Look I don't mind taking care of you."

"But those men." Allen shuddered at the thought.

"You don't have to worry about them. You'll be safe with me, okay?" Allen just replied with a small nod. As it turned out, living with his uncle was surprisingly quiet. Not much went on save for Neah's daily practicing on his piano. At one point Neah began to teach Allen how to play. Then Neah brought home a bird, it was small and yellow in color. It came to be known as Timcanpy and he learned to sing along with Allen and Neah when they played. Allen's life was at peace once again. But deep down, he wondered how long that would last…


	3. The Present 1

Allen spent his years happily with his uncle, all the way into his young adult years. He even became a pianist, and a real good one at that. One day when coming home from a practice at work, Allen came home to a surprisingly quiet home.

"Neah?" Allen tensed up. Where was his uncle? Could after all these years those crazy men found them again? But as Allen's thoughts turned to the darker side of things Timcanpy flew over.

"Piano." The golden bird tweeted as he landed on Allen's shoulder.

"What about the Piano Tim?" Allen rubbed the bird under the chin.

"Piano!" Tim chirped louder and then flew off into a different room. Allen shook his head and chuckled as he went to follow the bird. Timcanpy was waiting for Allen on the piano. On the piano was a piece of sheet music. Walking closer Allen realized it was sheet music of the song that Mana had taught him.

"Why is this here?" Allen asked the bird and grabbed the sheet. Timcanpy replied by tapping his beak against the sheet. Allen raised a brow and turned the sheet over. On the back was a note.

"Don't come looking for me.

-Love, Uncle Neah"

Allen frowned; what was his uncle up too? Timcanpy then tweeted, catching Allen's attention once again. The little bird then hopped down onto the piano keys.

"Do you want me to play this song?" Allen asked the bird. Timcanpy chirped and flapped his wings. Allen shrugged his shoulders and took a seat. Timcanpy jumped up onto his shoulder, awaiting his owner to play. Allen sighed and set up the sheet music before bringing his hands to the piano keys. He then began to play the sad song before him. As he was playing Allen noticed that the keys felt strange under his finger tips. At first Allen thought it was because he never played on this piano often, but then he began to hear clicking within the room. When Timcanpy chose to fly off, Allen paused in his playing. Watching the bird he saw him fly to a hallway that he'd never seen before.

"What's this?" Allen muttered as he slowly followed his pet through the secret passageway. At the end of the hall was a huge room. What drew in Allen's attention the most was a clothed mannequin in the back of the room. The mannequin was adorned in a large white cape and a silver eye-mask. In a way it looked like a old clown outfit.

"This is beautiful." Allen gasped as he moved in to touch the cape.

"Allen!" Said man jumped and turned to Timcanpy; whom he had forgotten was also in the room. The bird was on a small perch and preening his feathers. There was yet another note, this one hanging from the perch.

"I hoped it wouldn't come to this. But if you're here, then Timcanpy couldn't keep his beak shut. This is a place that I kept secret, only Mana knew about this… I was a hired mercenary. Sometimes I did things that I shouldn't have. One of these things include being involved with a company known as Noah; a group of very bad people. These are the same people that went after you and Mana those years back. I'm sorry you got caught up in this mess. And knowing you, you might want to get a little revenge, right? If you do, well you see that outfit in the back? I made it for you; a vigilante needs a secret identity after all. There are plenty of weapons around the room for you to get aquatinted with and please read the paper stashed in the room as well. It's all the info on Noah that I could get my hands on. I know this is reckless, but I know you can do it. Be careful.

-Love, Your Crazy Uncle Neah; the14th Noah."

Allen slowly crumpled the paper in his hands.

"You're insane!" Allen growled.

"Allen!" Timcanpy chirped and cocked his head to the side. Allen sighed and turned back to the outfit.

"So this was made for me…" Allen hummed. Pulling back the cape Allen noticed that the left arm of the mannequin was wearing a long black glove; from elbow to fingertip. But then Allen noticed that at each the fingertips was a long knife; making the glove look like it had long claws. Allen then looked down at his own left hand, the red skin hidden by a white glove.

"You just think of everything don't you Neah?" Allen chuckled to himself. He then tried to look for the other weapons and the paperwork that Neah mentioned in his letter. They were easily located. A large sword, some daggers, and even a couple of different guns. Allen felt like he was in some kind of action movie. But nonetheless he found the paperwork and decided to go read them as he cooked himself some dinner. Allen read up on every trick of the trade that Neah left for him, and decided in the following weeks to practice with his arsenal of weapons and all in his crazy outfit. When Allen felt ready to put his skills to use, he looked through his information on the Noah to try and find a place to investigate for the night. Once he read up on a suitable place, which was frequently a hideout for drug deals, Allen went to the secret room to get ready. He walked right up to the outfit in back, which Allen deemed the 'Crowned Clown', and carefully removed it from the mannequin. First things first, Allen removed the brown-haired wig that he always wears and wipes the make-up off of his face so that his scar is visible. He then put his outfit over what he was already wearing; which was just a white button-up with a waistcoat and black pants. Allen went on to fluff up the back of his hair and finally put on the glove that came along with the outfit; it was a surprisingly good weapon.

"Take care of the house Timcanpy, I'll be back." Allen informed his pet before placing the silver mask over his eyes and slipping out his back door.

Allen ended up on a shipping pier, surrounded by metal shipping containers.

"How typical." Allen muttered to himself as he crept around the low-lighted pier.

"So you thought that you could sneak around here and not get caught." Allen squeaked and turned around. But there was no one there. So he looked to the tops of the containers, but there was still no one around.

"Some police man you are. Or are you going to tell me that you have backup." There was manic laughter just up ahead from where Allen stood. So he moved closer, and what he found was a slightly opened and lighted container with a bunch of men standing in a circle around one other guy tied to a chair.

"He ain't talking boss." One of the circle guys muttered to the man beside him.

"I guess he thinks that he's better than us. No worries though." The boss snorted as he stared at the tied up man. Allen slowly wandered through the shadows until was close behind one of the circling men. Before making his move Allen glanced over to the man that was tied up. The man looked to be Asian and had long black hair that was tied up in a ponytail. Something about him seemed familiar to Allen, but he couldn't put a finger on it.

"You Akuma are worthless dirtbags. And you will be stopped." The police officer suddenly spoke up, a heavy scowl on his face. Allen flexed his clawed hand. So all of these guys were just Akuma; the Noah's lackeys. A smile made it's way to Allen's face.

"This should be easy." He whispered to himself.

"You say something boss?" Allen tensed up, he didn't think he was that loud.

"No." The boss began to scan the area, but before he got to Allen, the man that Allen was standing behind got Allen's claws across his throat.

"Jerry!" The boss shouted and glared at Allen. But all Allen did was grin and seemed to disappear. In a flash of white, all the surrounding men fell to the floor, dead.

"What are you doing?" The police man hissed from his seat and started to struggle against his bindings. But already Allen was standing in front of the boss.

"You!" The boss gasped as he pointed to the scar on Allen's face.

"Tell the Noah that the Crowned Clown is coming for them." Allen instructed as he held up a claw to the man's throat. The boss fell back onto his rear before scrambling to get back up and run away.

"I needed these men alive damn it!" The police man shouted.

"Oh well." Allen muttered as he turned to face the bound man. In a snap, Allen sliced threw the ropes and turned his back to the officer.

"You won't get away with this, murderer." The police officer grunted. Allen just turned his head and gave the man a smile before slipping away.

"What did that beanpole call himself, 'Crowned Clown'? Tsk." The police man had a long way back to headquarters, and this wasn't a report he was going to be happy writing about…

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A/N: So the guy named Jerry is total random! That just happened to be the first name that popped into my head. Sorry to those that thought it was the chef...


	4. The Present 2

It didn't take very long for the 'Crowned Clown' to make a name for himself. And it also didn't take very long for Allen to up root a lot of Britain's Akuma forces. Along side this secret lifestyle, Allen's pianist job was moving up in the world. In fact, he was just told by his manager that he got a call to do a gig in Japan. Not only was Allen ecstatic that he was getting so popular, but Japan was the home turf of the Noah. It was a win-win situation. Currently, Allen was at an airport in Japan with his manager, a man that went by the name of Lavi.

"Is the hotel all set up Lavi?" Allen asked as he made sure that Timcanpy was alright from the long journey.

"Yep! And I got all of our luggage and there should be a car out front for us." Lavi hummed as he adjusted the bags in his arms. Allen shook his head but gave a small smile to his manager. The pair then went outside to find their pick up. It didn't take long for Lavi to locate their ride.

"I'm sure lucky that you speak Japanese Lavi." Allen muttered as he slipped into the backseat of the vehicle.

"Saves us from getting a translator." Lavi replied as he got in after the other. Once the car was on the road Allen ended up lulling to sleep. He was awakened by Lavi, and rather loudly at that.

"Allen!" Said man jumped and almost hit his head on the car ceiling.

"What Lavi?" Allen grumbled.

"Come on out already." Lavi tugged on Allen's arm to try and get him out of the car.

"Fine." Allen detached Lavi from his arm and looked around noting that they were in front of a building that looked more like a restaurant than a hotel, "This doesn't look like a hotel."

"That's because it's not." Lavi replied.

"Then where are we?" Allen asked and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Just a place to meet up with some contacts. And don't worry our stuff is already at the hotel and Timcanpy is well taken care of." Lavi grinned.

"Contacts?" Allen raised an eyebrow.

"Just an old friend…and he's going to be your bodyguard." Lavi sighed and rubbed at the back of his head.

"A bodyguard?" Allen gasped, sure Lavi knew that Allen was a target of Noah, but never had he mentioned anything about getting a bodyguard. And of course this put a damper on Allen's plans.

"Sorry! See he's a police investigator and I thought it'd be a win-win situation if he protected you and got info on the Noah at the same time." Lavi admitted. Allen shook his head.

"Lead on." Allen gestured to the building's door. Lavi was quick to open the door and bring Allen inside. It turned out the place was a restaurant and Lavi lead him right to a table that had two people already seated at it. There was an older gentleman with fluffy hair tied back in a low ponytail and beside him was a man that appeared just a tad older than Allen himself with long black hair held in a high ponytail. Now what made Allen's eyes widen was that he recognized the younger man, it was the policeman that was tied up back on Allen's first night hunting the Noah.

"Something wrong Allen? You look paler than usual all of a sudden." Lavi frowned as he scanned Allen's form.

"Oh it's nothing." Allen nervously laughed as he carried on to the table; hoping he wouldn't be remembered.

"Hello there you must be Allen Walker, I'm Tiedoll and this is my son Y-" The older man was cut off.

"You can call me Kanda." The younger one huffed. Allen cocked his head to the side; that name sounded familiar.

"It's nice to meet you." Allen murmured as he sat down. Lavi then began to talk, Allen drowned him out and was more concerned with how the police officer was staring him down.

"Wait a minute i know you…" Kanda suddenly spoke up.

"W-What!" Allen gulped, "You must be mistaken."

"No I definitely know you. Your name was Red once, wasn't it?" Kanda's seemingly permeant scowl suddenly softened. A bunch of things went off in Allen's brain. First he was relived that Kanda didn't put together that he was the Crowned Clown, second he slowly began to remember who Kanda was.

"Yu? You were the kid with the umbrella, right?" Allen gave a small smile. Kanda gave a small nod and the table was silent for a few minutes before Lavi spoke up.

"You two know each other?" The red head gasped.

"We grew up in the same orphanage. In fact you and Alma never stopped calling me names! One was 'Moyashi' or something!" Allen huffed at the memory.

"Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time…" Tiedoll made a nervous face and looked over at Kanda.

"You're still a Moyashi." Kanda muttered.

"No I'm not! My name is Allen!" Allen growled back.

"Moyashi." Kanda actually gave a smirk; which surprised both Tiedoll and Lavi.

"…Bakanda!" Allen slammed his hands on the table causing the silverware to jump.

"Woah there Allen." Lavi gulped and put his hands on Allen's shoulders.

"Well these boy seem to get along just fine Lavi." Tiedoll couldn't help but let out a laugh.

"What the hell did you do to get the Noah on your ass Moyashi?" Kanda brought the focus back to the point of the meeting.

"My uncle apparently had some bad business with them and their coming after me because I got caught up in the middle." Allen hummed after his answer.

"Do you know anything about them?" Kanda asked next.

"Not really." Allen shook his head.

"What about the Crowned Clown?" Kanda glared as he asked.

"Who?" Allen played innocent, hoping Kanda couldn't read that he was lying.

"Tsk, well you're not much help. But so long as you're in Japan I'll be with you. Hope you don't mind sharing your hotel room." Kanda rolled his eyes and sighed. Allen looked over to Lavi.

"What? He has to stay close." Lavi shrugged his shoulders. Allen sighed, hopefully Kanda won't find his stash of Crowned Clown attire and let him do some investigating of his own tonight. The rest of the chat was small talk and about Allen's meeting with the man that is setting up his performances, a man named Adam. It then came time for Allen, Kanda, and Lavi to head to the hotel. They said their good-byes to Tiedoll and got a taxi. Not much happened in the car ride, save for Kanda bringing up some strange points.

"You're hair seems much duller than it used to be. You wearing a wig or something?" Kanda muttered to Allen as he sat next to him. Allen almost choked on his own spit.

"No! It just lost some color to it as I aged alright?" I'm not exactly outside a lot anymore." Allen quickly replied. Kanda didn't look like he fell for the lie, but he said nothing about it. Instead he moved on.

"How's your arm?"

"…The same." Allen looked down at his gloved left hand. Kanda made a sound of acknowledgment, but once again grew quiet. Which gave time for Lavi to jump in.

"How old were you guys when you met?" He asked first.

"I was nine, the moyashi was six." Kanda answered.

"We only knew each other for a year Lavi, there's not much to talk about." Allen added in.

"Oh and here I thought you could tell me secrets I didn't know about our dear Yu!" Lavi tarted to giggle. Out of no where a sword made it to Lavi's neck.

"I told you not to call me that." Kanda growled.

"Allen help me!" Lavi whined.

"Nope." Allen shook his head.

"I thought we were friends." Lavi whimpered.

"Pathetic." Kanda huffed and put his sword away.

"Now how did I not notice that you carrying that?" Allen looked at the sheath Kanda had at his side between him and Lavi.

"You're an idiot." Kanda scoffed. Allen stuck his tongue out at the police officer and Lavi laughed at his actions. And this is how the majority of the trip was until they reached the hotel. Once there, Allen and Kanda went to their room while Lavi got the one right next door.

"At least I'm not stuck in the same room as that damn usagi." Kanda sighed as he began to sort things in the room.

"Lavi's not that bad." Allen half-heartedly replied as he was busy petting Timcanpy. Kanda gave the other a look before turning his attention to the bird.

"You brought your pet?"

"He was a gift from my uncle. I don't go anywhere without him. He also helps me when I practice." Allen turned to glare at Kanda.

"Whatever. I'm going to bed." Kanda huffed and headed to the bathroom. Once Kanda was out of the room Allen turned back to Timcanpy.

"Hey Tim, can I ask a favor of you?" Allen hummed and gave his bird a scratch under the chin. Timcanpy tweeted in reply. "I'm placing a mini radio in your cage. You alert me if Kanda wonders where I am at tonight." Timcanpy gave a flap of his wings in understanding. Allen nodded back. And now it was a matter of waiting. Kanda was quick with washing and just as quick to get in bed. Once Allen was sure Kanda was out, he carefully brought his special suitcase into the bathroom. Earlier Allen had made note that there was a decent sized window in the bathroom and that the space under the sink could keep his special suitcase hidden. Allen made sure to keep his wig and make-up under the sink once he was changed as well.

"Time to wander the streets." Allen, in full Crowned Clown gear, made sure the special tech that was laced into his mask was working so that he could translate whatever he needed to and opened up the window. Making sure to close it behind him, Allen slunk into the shadows of the night in hunt of the Noah. Tonight was a night to gather information and recon. Though as he was out and about, Allen couldn't help but worry about what the hell he was going to do about Kanda.

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A/N: Excuse the lateness of this chapter, I got caught up in the ordeal of the D. Gray-Man Chapter 219 update...


	5. The Present 3

The streets were difficult for Allen to find decent hiding spots in. Most buildings were lit up from neon signs and there weren't very many alleyways for Allen to make use of.

"I didn't think this would be this bad." Allen grumbled to himself and he made a pit stop atop a roof. As he took a look around Allen noticed that their was a theater right next to the building he was currently on. Glancing at the sign at the front of the building Allen noticed that it was the theater that he'd be doing his gig at. Curious about the building's layout, in case he needed some kind of escape route, Allen decided to go check things out. He roof jumped and found a skylight on the theater. Shrugging his shoulders at the unusual feature Allen easily opened it and hopped down into the building. He ended up landing on the stage.

"Why would there be a skylight over the stage? You'd think they wouldn't let natural lighting bother the shows…" Allen muttered as he surveyed his new surroundings. What he saw were the many rows of seating, the stage lights, and what looked like a contraption that covered the skylight from below. Allen made note of the contraption before checking out things backstage. Just as he was weaving through props he picked up on a conversation. It was hard to make out since the speakers were talking in Japanese, so Allen just went to a place to hide. He made note to get a gadget so he could translate what he heard since all he mask could do was translate written things. Just as Allen was thinking about his small bump in the road, someone started speaking English.

"Why is the Earl waiting to kill this boy? Waiting is so boring!" It sounded like the voice belonged to a young girl. A reply was given back in Japanese.

"You don't tell me what to do!" Suddenly there was a loud smack and a body made its way over to Allen's hiding place. The man now in front of Allen had his neck broken and blood was spilling onto the floor.

"Oh great, now we'll have to clean this up. The Earl wouldn't want blood to freak out the boy or tip off the investigator." The girl finally walked into Allen's line of sight. She was frowning and swinging her arms back and forth. She sent a glare over to the man beside her and he ran off. Allen couldn't believe what he was seeing. What was this girl doing? Just as Allen was going to move, his radio went off, the vibrations being easily heard in the quiet theater.

"What?" The girl looked right over to Allen's hiding place.

"Shit!" Allen quickly looked around for a place to run; there was no way he could make it back to the skylight.

"Oh lookie, the Crowned Clown has come for a visit!" The girl started to giggle. Allen went to dash by her, but the girl's lackey came back and stopped him.

"What's a little girl like you doing working for the Noah?" Allen hissed as he tried to wiggle free from the grip the man had on his left arm; the way he was being held kept him from being able to use his claws.

"I don't work for the Noah, I am one of the Noah." The girl stuck out her tongue, "My name is Road."

"What?" Allen gasped.

"That's right. Now you tell me, what are you doing trying to stop us?" Road hummed and from her pocket pulled out what looked like a candle with one end sharpened.

"You kill people!" Allen shouted back at her.

"Only people that are weak-links to the world. We are trying to make things better." Road replied and brought up her candle to Allen's chest.

"No you're not!" Allen finally found the strength to break free and attempted a swipe at Road, but she jumped out of the way in time. Taking a chance Allen made a run for it.

"Let him go. He'll be back." Was all Allen could hear Road say to her lackey before he was gone and out a back entrance. He made a mad dash back to his hotel, praying that Kanda hadn't noticed his disappearance. Once by the window, Allen carefully crawled into the bathroom with as little noise as possible.

"What the hell are you doing in there Moyashi?" Kanda smacked the bathroom door.

"It's Allen! And I-I just had to use the bathroom okay? Jeez! I'll be out in a minute." Allen huffed back. How long had Kanda been waiting outside the bathroom? Allen did his best to be quick when getting out of his Crowned Clown gear and slipping on his pajamas. Everything was shoved in the space under the sink and Allen pulled out his wig. He quickly put his wig in place, using some of it to hide his left eye, seeing as makeup would take too long, and flushed the toilet to trick Kanda and he washed his hands. As soon as Allen opened the bathroom door he was met with a scowling Kanda.

"I got up for some water and your bird starts going nuts. Seeing you weren't in bed and it didn't look like you even slept in it, I thought something happened." Kanda crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well I was just in the bathroom. And I don't tend to sleep well, so I haven't made it to bed yet." Allen muttered and added a yawn for effect. He then walked over to the bed and pulled up the covers. Unknowing to Allen, Kanda walked over to his left side.

"Why do you have your hair in your face?" Caught off guard thanks to Kanda being in his blind spot, Allen jumped and squealed. Kanda gave Allen a curious stare.

"Y-You don't just walk up to people like that! G-Good night Bakanda!" Allen pushed Kanda away and crawled into bed, pulling the covers up over his head.

"Tsk, weirdo." Kanda huffed and went back to his bed. He figured he'd just ask the stupid rabbit about Allen's lack of attention on his left in the morning.


	6. The Present 4

It was early when Allen awoke. He rubbed his eyes and let out a tiny yawn before looking over to Kanda's bed. The policeman was still asleep, but it didn't look like that'd last very long. So Allen kicked off his covers and rushed to the bathroom. The soft padding of his feet across the wood flooring got Kanda to jump out of bed.

"Damn it Moyashi, what was that about?" Kanda growled out when he realized all Allen had done was run to the bathroom.

"I really had to pee!" Allen replied. Though in actuality the pseudo-brunet let out a relieved sigh and dug his things out from under the bathroom sink. While Allen was busy in the bathroom, Kanda decided to get some of his things ready for when the other was finished. As he was pulling out some clothes, there was a knock on the door. Kanda huffed, but answered it anyway.

"Heyo Kanda!" Surprise, surprise, it was Lavi.

"What are you doing up this early?" Kanda muttered.

"I've learned to get up this early because Allen gets up this early." Lavi replied and pushed passed Kanda to go and see Timcanpy. "Hey buddy." Lavi waved to the golden bird.

"So this is normal for him?" Kanda shut the door and proceeded to point to the bathroom door.

"Yep! He's really weird about people seeing him get ready and the like." Lavi nodded and turned around to face Kanda.

"Speaking of weird, have you noticed he doesn't respond well on his left side?" Kanda crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

"I have actually. Allen brushes it off when I ask about it though." Lavi shrugged his shoulders. "And that's not the weirdest thing he's done."

"It's not?" Kanda raised a brow.

"Nope. He's really acrobatic. I've seen him do some flips once and that was from a falling light on stage! I've never seen anyone move so fast! Oh and he eats a lot of food! Almost like an athlete. But the weirdest thing is how he talks to Timcanpy sometimes. It's like he's telling the bird to act as a lookout or something." Lavi explains as he thinks back.

"Really now?" Kanda goes to glare at the bathroom door. Allen was definitely hiding something.

"Hey, since I told you a lot about Allen, tell me stuff you remember him doing in the past." Lavi smirked.

"Fine. He was really clumsy. He had trouble doing things with his left hand and he was a brat. He was a lot of bark with no bite. Though after he met me he got quiet, shy even." Kanda grumbled as he tried to think of those years ago.

"Shy? I never would have thought Allen was a shy person. Maybe he liked you or something?" Lavi chuckled to himself. Kanda raised a brow at the redhead's strange comment but quickly shook it off.

"All done!" Allen hums as he exits the bathroom. "Morning Lavi."

"Hey Allen, Kanda and I were just talking about you." Lavi grinned.

"Talking about me?" Allen suddenly tensed up; which did not go unnoticed by a certain policeman.

"We're leaving as soon as I finish." Kanda changed subject and grabbed his things, taking the bathroom for himself.

"What did you tel him?" Allen pouted as he looked to Lavi.

"That you're a crybaby!" Lavi couldn't help but laugh.

"I am not!" Allen stuck a tongue out at Lavi before checking on Timcanpy. While Lavi was busy laughing Allen made sure to feed his precious pet and give him a few scratches under the chin. "You take care of yourself Tim."

"Come on." Kanda ordered a soon as he exited the bathroom.

"But what about breakfast?" Allen whined and his stomach growled.

"You should have-" Kanda cut himself off all of sudden, "You better be quick Moyashi." Allen and Lavi both gave Kanda a strange look, but no one was complaining. The next thing was that Kanda learned that the rabbit wasn't kidding about Allen's appetite. The young man almost ate everything the hotel had to offer.

"Where does all that go?" Kanda muttered and shook his head when Allen finished.

"Shut up!" Allen huffed.

"Whatever let's start heading to the theater." Kanda sighed and grabbed Allen by the hand.

"K-Kanda?" Allen gasped as the other man started pulling him along.

"What?" Kanda looked back but didn't let go.

"N-Nothing." Allen just allowed the other to hold his hand; and to his luck Kanda looked away as a blush spread across his cheeks.

"Wait for me!" Lavi shouted as he realized he was being left behind. But being Allen as he was he spotted the blush on his cheeks. "Oh he so does like Kanda!" He chuckled to himself as he followed after his friends.

Once at the theater the trio met a man at the front of the building.

"Ah, you must be Allen Walker," The man walked over and held out his hand, "My name is Adam Campbell and I'm the man that set this tour for you."

"Thank you sir." Allen smiled and gladly shook the other's hand.

"Now then let's get you inside. A few of my men and my granddaughter have already set things up for you." Adam tipped his top hat to the trio before going inside. When walking inside the trio was greeted by a lighted stage and a small girl who was balancing on the heels of her feet. Allen gulped upon seeing the girl, it was the same one from last night.

"You alright there Allen?" Lavi noticed his friend's sudden change in mood.

"C-Can I get some privacy?" Allen took Lavi's hand and dragged him away from everyone.

"What's wrong?" Lavi asked.

"I think my nerves are finally getting to me." Allen muttered.

"Nerves? Well the cure to that is to think of something else." Lavi smirked.

"Something else?" Allen raised a brow.

"Yeah! Like do you have a crush on Kanda?" Allen started coughing after LAvi's comment.

"What? Sure Kanda's handsome but that doesn't mean anything!" Allen squeaked as a blush tainted his cheeks.

"Yes it does! Kanda and Allen sitting in a tree-" Allen playfully punched Lavi in the shoulder to get him to shut up. "Sorry." Just then Kanda came to interrupt them, the girl following right behind

"Are you okay?" The girl giggled as she looked at Allen. Sadly so, Allen was too scared to talk back to her. "I know how to make you feel better!" The girl suddenly ran over and swung her arms around Allen's neck, and gave him a kiss right on the lips. Everyone froze until she finished.

"Better?" The girl giggled when she detached herself. That's when Kanda walked over and glared at the girl. He was about to unsheathe his sword on her when the sound of a door stopped him.

"Road what are you doing?" Adam walked in.

"Nothing!" Road skipped over to her grandfather.

"Come now, go find a seat, Mr. Walker here needs to get ready." Adam put a hand on the girl's back.

"Will he play pretty music?" Road asked.

"I'm sure he will." Adam then lead Road away.

"Well that just happened!" Lavi started to laugh manically.

"Beat it usagi!" Kanda suddenly growled and it got the redhead to run after Adam and Road.

"I can't believe she did that." Allen muttered all wide-eyed.

"She's just a little kid. Go get to your piano." Kanda rubbed a thumb over Allen's lips to get the other to react.

"Hey stop!" Allen backed away. "Fine I'll go." He huffed and headed back to the stage. At that Kanda looked down at his hand. There was a bit of makeup residue left on his thumb.

"Just what have you gotten into Moyashi?" Kanda sighed as he wiped the makeup off on his pants. At this same moment Allen took a seat at the piano that was set up for him on stage when he looked up, taking notice that the skylight was covered up. He shook his head and brought a hand to his lips.

"Road recognizes me…And if Adam is in on this…Kanda help me." He pleaded and brought his hand away to look at it. That's when he noticed the smudge of makeup on his glove. Oh no! Allen turned his head over to the seats where everyone was sitting. Kanda just took a seat like everyone else and he looked up, waiting for Allen to play.

"Maybe he hasn't figured it out yet…" Allen sighed before bringing his hands to the keys. Now was not the time to be worried.


	7. The Present 5

Allen went through his practice just fine. There were no attempts on his life, and everyone in the audience sat silently until he finished. After his practice, Adam only gave him a few tips about his performance and left with his granddaughter peacefully. But Allen was still on edge, and both Kanda and Lavi could see that.

"Well that went rather smoothly, didn't it Allen?" Lavi attempted to break the ice.

"It was nice." Allen replied through a fake smile.

"You're lying Moyashi." Kanda huffed.

"I'm not! And it's Allen!" Allen sighed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You need to calm down. Why don't you go back to the hotel usagi? I'm going to go around town with the Moyashi." Kanda walked over to Lavi and put a hand on the redhead's shoulder.

"What are you doing Kanda?" Lavi whispered to the policeman.

"Nothing you need to worry about." Kanda replied.

"Do I not have a say in this?" Allen butted in.

"Nope. Sorry Allen, I'll make sure to take care of Tim for you." Lavi gave a salute before taking his leave. Allen let out a shaky sigh and gave Kanda a confused look.

"Like I said you need to calm down." Kanda walked over to Allen and brushed his shoulder against the other's. "Let me take you some place to relax."

"W-Why? You're acting weird Kanda." Allen tensed up. Did he figure it out? Was he taking him to jail?

"Look Moyashi, I know I'm not the nicest guy. But I like to think that I can show some kindness to people I don't hate." Kanda muttered.

"…" A small blush crossed Allen's cheeks, "Where are we going?"

"You'll see." Was all Kanda gave in reply before exiting the theater. Allen was unsure if he should follow, but in the end he did. Once outside Kanda began to walk down the street, Allen always a few steps behind him. Allen was almost afraid to lose the other in the crowded streets, but any time Kanda got too far, he'd stop and look back at the other until he caught up. It seemed like the pair was walking aimlessly and Allen was growing tired.

"Kanda how long is this going to be?" Allen whined as he stopped to take a breather.

"It's only a few blocks down. Come on." Kanda sighed and grabbed Allen's hand. He proceeded to pull the pseudo-brunet the rest of the way. They ended at a fairly large house.

"Where are we?" Allen asked and squeezed Kanda's hand unintentionally.

"My house." Kanda replied and knocked on the door. The door was opened and revealed Tiedoll.

"Welcome back! And you brought Allen with you how nice!" Tiedoll stated with a smile.

"Tsk, is anyone else here?" Kanda asked and dropped Allen's hand.

"It's just me and Daisya." Tiedoll replied and got out of the doorway so that Kanda and Allen could enter. "Here, let me go make some tea." Kanda rolled his eyes.

"Who's Daisya?" Allen questioned when Tiedoll walked away.

"Another adoptee. Tiedoll has three adopted sons, Marie, Daisya, and myself." Kanda explained.

"So he's like your brother?" Allen grew wide-eyed; many thought of how this person could be like filtering through his head.

"I guess, but I don't call him that." Kanda huffed.

"You're such a pain in the ass." Allen couldn't help but smile.

"Whatever." Kanda softly smacked Allen in the back of his head. Allen let out a yelp and Tiedoll had just walked in.

"Yu! Don't hit the poor boy!" Tiedoll criticized.

"It's alright sir." Allen chuckled and took the chance to sweep a leg under Kanda's so he'd fall over.

"Damn it Moyashi!" Kanda hissed.

"It's called payback Bakanda." Allen grinned. "Excuse me Mr. Tiedoll."

"Don't worry, it makes me happy to see the two of you getting along so well." Tiedoll gave a small chuckle and left the pair again.

"You were right Kanda, I do feel better. Your place is surprisingly calming." Allen hummed as he assisted Kanda back onto his feet.

"Good. Now come on." Kanda turned and headed down a hallway. Allen quickly followed after. The pair passed through a few different places before they made it to the living room. Kanda stopped to look around, but it seemed that he couldn't find what he was looking for. He soon turned his search to the backyard, which could be seen through a glass sliding door. In fact, Allen could see that there was somebody out there, and it looked like that said person was playing football*. The person had just made a shot into a makeshift goal when Kanda suddenly opened the sliding door.

"Daisya!" He growled.

"What do you want Kanda?" The person outside turned to glare at Kanda.

"What are doing?" Kanda returned the glare and stomped over to other.

"Practicing, duh." Daisya replied. That's when Kanda went over to the goal, and took an umbrella that was acting as one of the goal's side bars.

"I've told you not to take my things!" Kanda shouted as he inspected the umbrella.

"It's just a ratty umbrella!" Daisya yelled back. Allen noticed Kanda's hand fly to the hilt of his sword. Immediately, he ran over and grabbed Kanda by the arm just as the katana was half-way unsheathed.

"Hey!" Allen barked, "Don't you dare attack him!" Both Kanda and Daisya stared at Allen; neither expected him to act quick enough to stop the attack. Kanda let out a rough sigh and glared at Daisya.

"Sorry about this." Allen muttered, unsure if he really should be apologizing on Kanda's behalf. He than pulled Kanda back to the living room. Daisya just went back to what he was doing.

"I wasn't going to hurt him." Kanda huffed when Allen dragged him to the couch.

"You still were going to pull your sword on him!" Allen shouted and swiped the umbrella. "All over this. Sure it's yours, by why get so violent over it?" With it now in hand, Allen took the chance to look at the umbrella in detail. It looked old, it was child-sized, it had a hole here and there, and had faded coloring.

"That was Alma's umbrella. It was the same that I used when you were in the rain crying over your dead dog." Kanda explained through a frown.

"O-Oh…" Allen started to feel bad and held out the umbrella for Kanda to take back.

"I still can remember your face." Kanda took back the umbrella, "Your face was as red as your hair and your eyes were all puffy. You looked pathetic, but you were really emotionally shaken so I didn't slap you like I wanted to."

"You were going to hit me?" Allen gasped.

"It'd make you stop crying, and I just wanted to see if you'd get angry. You were always happy or sad. There was nothing else. Sometimes I thought you were a doll." Kanda murmured as he went to put away the umbrella. Allen's face fell in curiosity.

"You really felt that way?" Allen asked, "I-Is that why you always tried picking fights with me?"

"Yes, and it's adorable." Kanda replied.

"Is?" Allen squeaked. Kanda rolled his eyes and let out a huff. He then walked right up to Allen and took his face into his hands.

"How did you feel about that brat's kiss?" Kanda suddenly questioned.

"What? I didn't like it, and to think that was my first kiss too…" Allen sighed and he could feel Kanda tense up. "Kanda?"

"Damn that brat." Kanda surprisingly swooped in for a kiss, catching Allen off guard. The pseudo-brunet wasn't complaining though. Within the kiss Kanda trailed his left hand down Allen's cheek and then separated. Allen was too much of a blushing mess to realize what Kanda had just done. There was a whole bunch of makeup on Kanda's hand, seeing as he got all of it which includes the makeup above his eye, and he was now glaring intently at Allen. When Allen came out of his daze he noticed Kanda's face.

"K-Kanda?" He brought a hand up to his cheek, realization now hitting him.

"What happened?" Kanda took Allen's hand and removed it from his face.

"The Noah did this. It was to send my uncle a message." Allen admitted.

"Is that why you're blind on your left?" Kanda asks next. Allen nodded and tensed up, waiting for Kanda to yell at him about being the Crowned Clown. But instead Kanda went to give Allen a hug.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there." Kanda muttered.

"W-Wha?" Allen babbled, "I-It happened when I was like ten! You never could have stopped it."

"The Noah really are heartless aren't they? You know if I was you I'd probably try to kill those guys." Kanda smirked, "But you're too much of a crybaby for that." Allen could only blink in shock.

"We better get back to the hotel, you have a lot of explaining to do." Kanda flicked Allen in the nose.

"…Fine. But can we at least stay for tea? Mr. Tiedoll did go through the effort of making it." Allen gives Kanda a sheepish grin. Kanda gives a soft snort and nods. And despite everything Allen could still feel the butterflies in his stomach.

"Thank you Kanda…" Allen whispers to himself.

* * *

* - Since Allen is British, for him soccer is called football.


	8. The Present 6

Allen and Kanda were back at the apartment. Each sitting in their respective beds in a dead silence; even Timcanpy was remaining quiet. Allen then took in a deep breath, it was now or never. He brought a hand up to his wig and slowly removed it. And with a small shake of his head he spoke.

"So I'm the Crowned Clown."

"I figured that out." Kanda stated as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"When?" Allen questioned, "The way you framed that whole 'I'd kill them myself' bit didn't really come out as 'I know you're secret'."

"I was trying to say 'I understand'. Plus the added tease to see your confused face." Kanda snorted lightly.

"Baka!" Allen growled.

"So then, what's the whole story? A scar from a knife and the death of important family members, what else?" Kanda moved on to the bigger topic. Allen released a sigh before going on about Mana and how Uncle Neah planned to have Allen take revenge on behalf of them both.

"…" Kanda was quiet when Allen finished his backstory. At least until a small sigh escaped him.

"You shouldn't have gone through that. You deserved to get a happy life! And the one chance you're given is taken away! Those damn Noah bastards!" He hisses and slams a fist against the bed. Allen let's out a small gasp at Kanda's reaction and looks to his feet.

"So you're not going to arrest me?" Allen couldn't help but ask. Upon looking back up Allen is met with Kanda's angry glare.

"No." The other stated with a grunt. Allen blinked; Kanda would break the rules of law enforcement for him? "But you've still killed people. I can't look past that." Kanda continues.

"What are you going to do?" Allen gulped.

"The Crowned Clown has to die." Kanda deadpanned. Allen's eyes widened and he scooted farther back on the bed. Kanda noticed the reaction and added in, "I meant to fake it Moyashi."

"Fake it?" Allen echoed.

"Once the Noah business is handled we can fake the Crowned Clown's death. That way everything is ended. And you can live a more normal life." Kanda explained.

"Really?" Allen murmured.

"Yes. So then, what information have you gained on the Noah?" Kanda moves the subject along.

"A lot!" Allen chirps and goes to Tim's cage, where underneath in a hidden compartment Allen has stored certain pieces of his Noah intel, "In fact, my employer Adam is a part of the Noah."

"Your Uncle certainly was smart in writing out all this information, there's enough here for the police department to have a field day. As for your employer, how do you know?" Kanda questioned as he got up to stand beside Allen.

"His granddaughter was at the theater last night with Noah henchmen. I watched her kill one, and when I confronted her she flat out told me. Even mentioned how this 'Earl' is waiting for the right moment to kill me." Allen explained, "And I don't think they know that I'm the Crowned Clown, because Road attempted to kill me."

"So this means I can get revenge against that brat?" Kanda gave a small smirk and snuck a hand around Allen to hold the other by the waist. Allen blushed and gave Kanda a fake pout.

"Seriously?" He muttered.

"Of course, that first kiss should have been mine." Kanda growled. Allen's blush grew to a darker shade of red.

"You mean that kiss back at your place wasn't just a ploy to remove my makeup?"

"I've liked you since we were kids baka Moyashi." Kanda let out a small chuckle and shook his head. Allen remained stunned by Kanda as said police investigator took the papers from his hand and walked back to his bed. "If we try we might be able to take out Adam tonight. I overheard the man talk about checking the theater tonight to make sure things were set up perfectly for tomorrow. I'm sure now that it's something to harm you in some way."

"I'm willing, the sooner we take out the Noah, the better. Why don't you come up with a plan while I go get dressed up?" Allen replied as he walked towards the bathroom.

"You realize this means Lavi has to be in on this?" Kanda suddenly revealed. Allen paused to think.

"Go ahead. He's pretty close to figuring it all out anyway. He's smart and could certainly help if it comes down to the media getting involved." Allen gave a nod before going into the bathroom. So while Allen got into gear Kanda went next door and got the redheaded rabbit. He was quickly filled in and by the time he and Kanda returned to see Allen, said white-haired male was fully equipped in his Crowned Clown attire.

"Holy shit dude! I would never have pegged you as a lethal killing machine!" Lavi chuckled as he walked in.

"Good." Allen huffed, "So, got anything for me Kanda?"

"You need to get into the theater and deal with any henchmen. I'll stay hidden somewhere and help you corner Adam when the situation calls for it. And it's most likely that Road will be there as well. If she is you need to find a way to immobilize her. There's no way we can get away much with her, she's young and crazy." Kanda shook his head, "As for the usagi, he'll be recording everything. And that recording will be sent to police stations and the media. That way we can fake your death and Adam will go to jail, one way or another."

"Let's do this. I'll come in through the skylight, if it's open. If not, Kanda can I trust you to get it open?" Allen adds in.

"Skylight?" Kanda raises a brow.

"There's a covering for it. If open, I can jump in. If not, i still need to jump in, but we can use the opening of it to draw in all the Noah in the building." Allen explains.

"Sounds good." Kanda nods and looks over to Lavi.

"I got the camera. You two be careful." Lavi leaves so that he can go find a decent early position.

"This is it Kanda." Allen sighs and runs a hand through his hair.

"Let's go bring this story to an end. And Moyashi," Kanda starts to leave but turns back.

"It's Allen!" Said white-haired male couldn't help but shout back, "And what?"

"You can call me Yu, and I'll be right there if you need me." Kanda gives a minuscule smile before disappearing.

"B-Baka." Allen mutters to himself as a blush dances across his cheeks. He shakes it off and makes sure the room is secure before leaving out the bathroom window like he had the night before...


	9. The Present 7

Just like Allen had thought, the skylight was shut this night.

"Yu better hurry." Allen hummed under his breath as he crouched low by the skylight window. Meanwhile, Kanda got easy access through the back door after a Noah henchman neglected to check if the door was locked behind him. As for Lavi, he gave Kanda a camera to set up in the theater while he watched the tape from the building over and had a radio at the ready to inform Allen and Kanda of anything.

"Usagi can you see a way to open the skylight?" Kanda muttered into his radio as he put it into position. So far what few henchman Kanda has located we too busy talking amongst themselves to pay attention to their surroundings and Adam has yet to be seen. Lavi took his time to swivel the remote camera in its perch to survey the surrounding area. The redhead easily spotted the control center for the skylight. Lavi informed Kanda and the policeman made it over to the panel.

"Keep an eye out usagi." Kanda informed as he fiddled with the panel, hoping whatever he was doing would open the stupid metal barrier over the skylight window. And as expected, as soon as the metal began to move it made a very loud noise, alerting everyone within in the building that it was moving.

"Who's opening the skylight?" A voice, which Kanda recognized as Adam's, echoed through the theater. A bunch of voices of clueless henchmen reply and Kanda can't help but roll his eyes. As he gets into a more decent hiding place Kanda looks below to the stage. There he sees six people. Five of which look like henchmen while the sixth is all dressed up with an umbrella in hand.

"Earl sir, could it be the Crowned Clown? Mistress Road ran into him last night." One of the henchmen pointed out.

"That was the reason why the skylight was shut! Someone on the inside must have opened it." The one called "Earl" hissed back at the man.

"Time to drop Moyashi." Kanda whispered into his radio, and in the next minute he admired the sight of white dropping down. Upon landing Allen's cape elegantly spread against the floorboards.

"So you're the Earl." Allen stood and gave a small smile to his enemy.

"Ah Crowned Clown we finally meet." The Earl, or as Kanda and Allen knew him, Adam, turned and leaned on his umbrella as he stared at Allen.

"Your tyranny is over. This ends tonight." Allen states and pulls out his left hand, wiggling each of his clawed fingers.

"Oh really?" The Earl gave a chuckle and raised his umbrella so that the end pointed at Allen. To the henchmen it was a sign to attack. Each charged, and each one was skillfully evaded and sliced in a deadly location by the Crowned Clown's claws.

"Nice try Earl." Allen huffed as he shook his left hand to rid of the blood. "Now then, I've heard of your nasty plot to kill this 'Allen Walker'. That's not going to happen."

"You think you can stop me? There's no way you can kill me, and the boy's as good as dead, just like his stupid uncle." The Earl shook his head and put his umbrella over his shoulder. "In fact, he'll be killed right here on this stage! All he needs to do is sit at the piano and he'll see to his end!" Allen couldn't help but smile at the silly villain cliché of revealing plans to their enemies.

"Now would you tell me that?" Crowned Clown couldn't help but ask.

"Because who would believe you, a murder? And one foot in this theater in the daylight equals a run in with Mr. Walker's little police bodyguard. You wouldn't be able to save the boy with that as an obstacle." Adam explained, all to happy and confident. Allen took this time to laugh.

"Did you hear that sir?" Allen called up to Kanda. With that said Kanda came out from his hiding place, and he couldn't help but scowl at all the dead bodies.

"I did." Kanda finally replied.

"Really now officer?" Adam gasped at the policeman.

"What can I say? 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend', for now anyways." Kanda huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "You're under arrest Adam Campbell."

"How did you?" The Earl hissed.

"Not to many little girls are named 'Road'. Besides, you don't have the best of disguise." Kanda replied and started to step towards Adam. Allen decided to use this chance to raise his claws so that it'd look like he was ready to take a swipe at Kanda. Adam saw this opportunity to release a gas from his umbrella and made a run for it. Meanwhile, Kanda 'noticed' the Crowned Clown's actions and turned with his weapon drawn. Even though the pair was covered in smoke, you could hear the clang of metal echo in the theater. And when the smoke cleared, Kanda was standing tall, weapon being sheathed, with the Crowned Clown laying face first on the ground in a pile of blood.

"You asked for this…" Kanda made note before leaving, making sure to take the camera with him. Once back at the hotel, Kanda was met with a smiling Allen.

"We did it! Now we should clean this up." The pianist gave a laugh as he looked down at his blood-soaked outfit. Kanda just shook his head.

"Baka." Just as he spoke, Lavi makes his way into the room.

"You got the tape Kanda?" Lavi asked and leaned against the doorway.

"I do. Here take it and go." Kanda handed over the camera to the redhead.

"I just can't believe we did it." Lavi grinned as he stared at the camera in his hands.

"Well you go make sure the tape is all good and leave us in peace." Allen waved a hand to Lavi.

"Sure, now you two better not be up to anything." Lavi snickered before finally leaving.

"Jeez." Allen shook his head and headed to the bathroom. Kanda went and sat on his bed as he waited for Allen to finish cleaning up and changing out his Crowned Clown outfit for the last time. When Allen walked out he was dressed in his pajamas and had a suitcase in hand.

"This is my case of my Crowned Clown things, here." Allen set the case by Kanda's feet and then went of to Timcanpy's cage.

"I'll take these to headquarters tomorrow. We have to see how the other police and the media deal with Adam's case. "Thank you Allen."

"What was that?" Allen suddenly turned to face Kanda, his face burning red.

"All I said was thanks, you silly Moyashi." Kanda huffed.

"Darn it Yu!" Allen huffed back and gave a sigh.

"Why don't you head to bed? We've had a long night and we have a big day tomorrow." Kanda offered as he got up for the bathroom.

"Goodnight!" Allen called after the other and went to his bed. It ended up being a nice night for them, despite them being nervous about what events were awaiting them in the morning.

"Time to get up Moyashi." Allen was shaken awake.

"Hmm?" Allen rose and gave a loud yawn.

"The usagi's already sent in the footage to my headquarters. They've already went to the theater and found the mess. And a media station is ready to milk the story. Some reports want to talk to you and what not. So get ready to go." Kanda explained and handed Allen a change of clothes.

"Well that didn't take too long." Allen muttered as he took the clothes and got out of bed. Once Allen was ready to go, which included putting on his wig and makeup, Kanda decided to walk Allen to the theater. They were hand-in-hand and had not a single care in the world. At the theater there were news vans and police cars with people everywhere. Allen's hand gripped Kanda's harder from nerves.

"Calm down Moyashi." Kanda sighed as the two got closer to the scene. As soon as they stepped foot onto the scene, reporter bombarded Allen with questions, and it didn't help that they were all speaking Japanese. So of course Kanda began to shout at the reporters to back off. When the reporters pulled back, Kanda and Allen could see some policemen with people in handcuffs. Kanda asked his fellow officers some questions and to Allen it looked like they replied with good news.

"They found some of Adam's men attempting to clean up the mess. And Adam himself was here, they believe he was going to give his plan a try. Little did he know we had him on tape." Kanda explained to Allen.

"Adam came back? What are the odds?" Allen commented.

"Criminals always return to the scene of the crime." Kanda gave a small chuckle. Allen just softly punched him in the arm. Just then a fellow officer came out the theater with Adam handcuffed in front of him.

"There he is." Allen muttered.

"Don't worry, he won't hurt you." Kanda reassured, "And just so you know, my colleges believe he got rid of the Crowned Clown's body, so they aren't suspicious of his 'sudden' disappearance." After stating that Allen smiled softly and looked over to Adam. He finally got rid of the Noah. He hoped Mana and Neah were proud of him. Just as Allen trailed off in thought Adam looked up from the ground and spotted the pianist.

"You!" He growled, "I may be going to jail but I'll still get you brat!" Adam was then pushed from behind by the policeman that was escorting him to the vehicle.

"It's just a hollow threat." Kanda gave Allen a pat on the shoulder.

"Yeah…" Allen let out a sigh. Kanda gave Allen a curious look. "This means I have to go back home."

"Right…You'll be going back to Britain." Kanda grunted; he forgot that they lived in two separate countries.

"Write me? We can find a way to see each other someday." Allen frowned.

"How about we don't think about that just yet," Kanda sighed, "let's deal with these reporters and I'll help you with your stuff back at the hotel. We can spend all that time together." Allen just gave a small nod. The pair then had to go through the mob of reporters once again. This time they asked questions and Kanda was Allen's translator. But in the back of their heads they worried about how by tomorrow Allen was going to be on a plane ride home.


	10. The Future

Allen never realized how lonely he was. It was just Timcanpy and himself in his house. By now it has been a few weeks since the incident back in Japan, and without Kanda. Those few days with the police investigator were some of Allen's best. He missed him, and had written the other once a week. But Kanda had only sent one reply back to Allen.

"I miss you too Moyashi. But I'm trying very hard to work something out right now. Just keep waiting.

-Love, Kanda"

It was short, and Allen knew that he shouldn't lose faith, especially since Kanda had signed with love, but Allen still grew worried. He wanted to know what Kanda was up too. And it bothered him even more since at times it seemed like Lavi knew what was going on, and he wouldn't tell Allen anything. There was then a knock at the door. At first Allen wanted to ignore it, but when Timcanpy gave a whistle Allen knew it was Lavi. Upon opening the door Allen was indeed greeted by the redhead.

"Hey Lavi." Allen waved to the other as backed away from the doorway so that he could come in.

"Turn on the TV!" Lavi shouted and pushed Allen to the living room.

"What? Lavi!" Allen yelped.

"Quickly!" Lavi seated Allen on the couch and handed him the remote. Allen still gave Lavi a questioning look, but he turned on the TV nonetheless. What was on was the news.

"This just in the case of the Noah are still at large." The news lady reported.

"What?" Allen almost jumped up from the couch, but Lavi sat him back down.

"Listen." Lavi ordered.

"Even though the head of the nefarious group was arrested weeks ago in Japan, reports have it that many of the Noah group leaders are still at large. The members are said to be scattered throughout the world." The news lady explained before it switched to a different reporter.

"The Noah are still out there?" Allen tensed up slightly. And the poor guy jumped when there was a knock at his door. And it didn't help when Timcanpy started tweeting and flapping his wings.

"Why don't you go answer?" Lavi said with a wide grin. Allen just knew Lavi was up to something now, but what could it possibly be? Nevertheless, Allen walked to the door and slowly began to open to door. Allen kept his eyes closed from nerves, even when he fully opened the door.

"Can't you even look at me baka Moyashi, I thought you missed me." Allen's eye snapped open, and he was greeted with the sight of a smirking Kanda.

"Yu!" Allen cried out and jumped the other man. Arms went around necks and a strong hug went both ways. "What are you doing here?" Allen just had to ask.

"When the report that there were still Noah at large, I used it as an opportunity to see if I could get filed to guard you again. After all, you were a target before and now that the boss is in jail, you'd be just as big a target." Kanda stated with a small wink.

"So your stuck with me again?" Allen asked with a smile.

"Yep. Now go kick out the usagi, you and I have a lot of catching up to do." Kanda walked on into the house and went to give a greeting to Timcanpy.

"Why can't I be here? I missed you too Yu!" Lavi stated with a whine. A blade made its way to Lavi neck.

"You don't call me that." The police officer hissed.

"But Allen gets too." Lavi complained.

"You better leave." Kanda warned. Lavi put his hands up in defense and slowly began walking towards the door.

"Bye Lavi." Allen gave a wave before closing the door behind the redhead. "So why'd we have to kick out Lavi?"

"I want to take you out somewhere private." Kanda replied.

"Hmm? Where?" Allen asked.

"You'll see. You just have to trust me." Kanda held out a hand for Allen to take.

"You sure? You just got here and…" Allen sighed when he trailed off.

"It'll be fine Allen. Just let me lead you." Allen took Kanda's hand and then allowed the other man to walk him through town. The pair passed by many places that Allen adored and thought that Kanda could have been taking him. And after each one Allen grew more nervous and excited.

"Come on Yu, where are you taking me?" Allen groaned after they've been walking for hat felt like forever.

"I'm still not going to tell you." Kanda replied, "Besides we're almost there."

"Really?" Allen raised an eyebrow.

"Yes." Kanda gave a nod and continued to lead Allen. Soon enough Allen started to get questionable, it almost seemed like Kanda was leading him to the…

"Here we are." Kanda stopped right in front of the old orphanage.

"W-Why are we here Kanda?" Allen squeaked out.

"And here I thought you'd like to see the place where we met." Kanda gave a small chuckle.

"That can't be the only reason you've brought me here for." Allen huffed.

"It's not." Kanda patted Allen on the back to urge him forward. Allen was still confused, but he walked on anyway. When Allen got closer to the orphanage he noticed a big sign up front that he'd never forget.

"The Adoption Fair?" Allen looked back at Kanda. "No way! Kanda we aren't adopting a kid!" A deep blush broke across Allen's face.

"That wasn't my plan, but if you want to I won't complain." Kanda shrugged his shoulders.

"Kanda our relationship is only a few days old, since those weeks apart don't really count. A kid would be too much, jeez!" Allen's blush refused to leave his face, "And if that's not why we're here, then why are we?"

"Sometimes if the kids see adults that used to be orphans like them, they feel better about themselves. That and I thought you'd want to visit Allen, that was the name of your dog right?" Kanda gave a small smile. Allen was speechless. He nodded and took Kanda's hand.

"That's really nice of you…" He muttered almost under his breath. The pair made it inside the building and the lady that was assisting the people that come in to see the kids walked right over to them. It just so happened to be the same old headmaster after all these years. Those it didn't seem that she recognized either one of them.

"Hello there sirs." She greeted with a smile.

"Long time no see ma'am." Allen replied.

"Hmm? Have you been here before? I'm sorry but I do not recognize you." The headmaster frowned slightly.

"We used to be orphans here…" Allen gave a weak smile.

"Really?" The headmaster gasped.

"It's Red, the boy with the arm." Allen held up his left hand and removed his glove slightly so that the headmaster could see the discolored skin underneath.

"Oh my, I do remember you!" The headmaster clasped her hands together, "You look so good, how have you been dearie?"

"I've been good. I'm a professionally pianist now. The man who adopted me really did change my life." Allen answered.

"Dearie, that's so good to hear." The headmaster smiled and then turned to face Kanda.

"Kanda. The brat that usually beat on the other kids." Kanda explained to the older lady.

"Oh yes, I remember you. I trust that you grew out of all that bullying behavior." The headmaster huffed.

"I'm a police investigator out of Japan. And don't worry, nothings wrong, I just came to check in on this place with him." Kanda pointed to Allen.

"Wonderful, I'm sure the kids would love to meet you two. In any case, you two know how things work around here. Take care." The headmaster waved before walking away to go help some other folks out.

"First things first Yu, I want to see Allen's grave." Allen stated with a sad smile. Kanda nodded and the pair then headed to the back of the building. It was nice to see that the back wasn't as barren as it used to be, there was a small garden and it was evident that the grounds were much better kept then they used to be. In fact, Allen almost had a difficult time finding his dog's old grave. He found the small mound, but it had grass growing all on top and around it.

"It's nice to see what they've done here. I hope you've rested well old friend." Allen muttered as he knelt down to the mound.

"What are you weirdos doing?" A kid suddenly was staring at them from the back door. He had on the typical poor kid attire and a large bandana around his head that covered his forehead.

"Just enjoying the scenery." Allen stood back up and sent a smile over to the kid.

"What's there to see?" The kid huffed.

"When we used to be here this all used to be plain dirt." Allen explained.

"You used to be here? You guys are orphans?" The kid questioned. Allen gave a nod.

"Shouldn't you be with the other kids?" Kanda crossed his arms over his chest.

"Not like I'd be adopted. Nobody likes me." The kid shook his head.

"Why not?" Allen asked.

"Why should I tell you?" The kid snorted. He then made a sudden mad dash towards the pair, he crashed into them and kept running. But he didn't get very far before Kanda caught him.

"Hey! Let me go!" The kid shouted and squirmed in Kanda's hold.

"Give Allen's wallet back." Kanda demanded.

"What?" Allen padded his pant pocket to confirm that his wallet was indeed missing.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" The kid growled.

"There's no point in lying." Kanda's free hand went to his sword, but Allen stopped him.

"You don't need to steal. Why do you need my wallet?" Allen questioned as he went to get his wallet back.

"Weirdos let me go!" The kid whined.

"Let's take him back to the headmaster." Kanda huffed and moved the kid so that he was tossed over his shoulder.

"No! She can't know I tried to pickpocket you!" The kid screamed.

"Then tell us why you tried in the first place." Kanda stated.

"I just want to help the orphanage. If it had some more money then things would be easier for everyone." The kid admitted with a frown.

"How were you going to explain to the headmaster where the money came from?" Allen sighed.

"Say you guys donated and gave me the money to give to her." The kid also let out sigh.

"Well you didn't need to steal the money, if you would've asked we could have donated the money ourselves." Allen gave a small chuckle.

"Are you making fun of me?" The kid blushed in embarrassment.

"No." Allen shook his head. He and Kanda then made it to the headmaster.

"You found Timothy!" The headmaster gasped and ran over, "We've been looking all over for him!"

"Well he was with us in the garden." Allen explained.

"He wasn't doing anything bad was he?" The headmaster asked.

"What do you mean?" Allen questioned back.

"Like pickpocketing. I've heard from other guests that he's been doing that." The headmaster sighed. The kid gulped and Kanda put him on the ground.

"No, he was just wondering why we were in the garden. No harm." Kanda stated.

"Really? Alright then. Good." The headmaster let out a relieved sigh. "I'll leave him with you for now then." She then walked away again.

"Why didn't you rat me out?" Timothy looked up to Kanda with a pout.

"The Moyashi here did much worse when he was here. How many times did you run away and cheat at poker with locals?" Kanda smirked as he talked to Allen. Allen jabbed Kanda in the side with his elbow.

"And how many times did you beat up the other kids to the point of hospital visits. You were probably the reason the orphanage has money issues." Allen laughed.

"That was years ago!" Kanda hissed. It was then Timothy began to laugh.

"You weirdos are really nice." He muttered.

"Well it nice meeting you Timothy. I'll see you later." Allen ruffled the boy's hair and started leaving, Kanda right behind him.

"You really like that kid, don't you?" Kanda asked once they were away from the orphanage.

"Thank you for bringing me there Yu…Maybe in a few months we can see Timothy again. I'm sure Timcanpy would like him too." Allen gave a small smile.

"Great then there'd be two Tim's in the house." Kanda huffed. Allen just laughed and stopped to give Kanda a hug.

"And don't worry, the Noah won't break a part your family again. I guarantee it." Kanda hugged back and buried his face in Allen's (fake) hair, a smile hidden.


End file.
